# Barney Miller and Chano and Inspector Luger **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221 "2012-09-09T19:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/1 "2012-09-09T19:12:39Z")
Since I saw a great discussion in my earlier thread about “Hogan’s Heroes” inconsistencies, I have to throw another similar one out regarding “Barney Miller.” When Jack Soo died, he was written out of the show. However, at some point Gregory Sierra’s character of Chano is no longer on the series and nothing is ever mentioned of him again. Why did Gregory Sierra leave the show and was Chano’s disappearance from the 12th Precinct ever explained? Also, my own personal favorite character was Inspector Luger played by James Gregory. While James Gregory played Inspector Luger as a rather devoted but often clueless boob, I have to wonder: If Inspector Luger was such a boob, how would someone like that be promoted to the position of Inspector? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/2 "2012-09-09T19:43:22Z")
I don’t remember what they did with the Sierra character. Did they bring in a woman detective to as an alternative Hispanic character for a while? The inspector was supposed to the old days of the NYPD with restricted hiring and patronage policies. But he wasn’t presented as a total boob, I think it was more of someone older and losing it from old age, though probably not the brightest bulb to start with. Notably the show featured a gay character in a small role. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/3 "2012-09-09T19:49:04Z")
> [@Hottius\_Maximus](#): > > If Inspector Luger was such a boob, how would someone like that be promoted to the position of Inspector? I take it you’ve never had a boss? More seriously, another famous police show is _The Wire_. Lot’s of incompetent/corrupt higher ups. But based on David Simon’s real life experience as a police reporter in Baltimore. Luger looks like a genius compared to some of those people. As to Sierra, he was an in-demand actor, even given a (short-lived) TV series a couple years later, _A.E.S. Hudson Street_. He apparently had eyes on bigger roles than what _BM_ could give him. Plus rumors of friction on the set. He was there at the end of Season 2 and not seen again. The only later references were regarding Barney Miller trying to find a replacement and such. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/4 "2012-09-09T20:17:02Z")
I always thought Luger was meant to be more of a fossil than a boob. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/5 "2012-09-09T21:02:18Z")
Chano _was mentioned_, briefly. He had transferred downtown. I got the Complete DVD set. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/6 "2012-09-09T21:34:00Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Chano _was mentioned_, briefly. > > He had transferred downtown. > > I got the Complete DVD set. 🙂 Which episode was it mentioned that Chano had transferred to another precinct? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/7 "2012-09-09T21:46:38Z")
> [@Hottius\_Maximus](#): > > Which episode was it mentioned that Chano had transferred to another precinct? Don’t recall. The last season, though. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/8 "2012-09-09T21:59:48Z")
They blew him up in his car. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/9 "2012-09-09T22:12:22Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > I always thought Luger was meant to be more of a fossil than a boob. I always figured Luger was so close to retirement that the department just found the least demanding job they could for him (Fish was also ancient, but he hadn’t worked his way that far up the promotion list. However, I do remember one episode where Barney was being investigated by Internal Affairs or something. James Gregory’s snapping off the line “I’ll need your badge and your gun” was a perfect blending of weary regret and someone determined to do the rottenest part of their job with brutal efficiency. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/10 "2012-09-09T22:14:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > They blew him up in his car. It says a lot about how much TV I watched in the seventies that I immediately got that joke. ---
**Author:** ![MunkaMike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MunkaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MunkaMike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/11 "2012-09-09T22:57:09Z")
If I remember correctly, Chano shot a suspect While he was in the right he had a hard time with his actions. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/12 "2012-09-09T23:01:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It says a lot about how much TV I watched in the seventies that I immediately got that joke. Growing up in the seventies in Kansas City as the son of a cop, LOTS of people blew up in cars. In some neighborhoods, it was considered “natural causes”. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/13 "2012-09-09T23:42:15Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I always figured Luger was so close to retirement that the department just found the least demanding job they could for him (Fish was also ancient, but he hadn’t worked his way that far up the promotion list. Abe Vigoda was about fifty at the time - he just looked 90 years older than God. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/14 "2012-09-09T23:44:09Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Growing up in the seventies in Kansas City as the son of a cop, LOTS of people blew up in cars. In some neighborhoods, it was considered “natural causes”. In the Chicago area, too (big surprise). What I suppose is jarring to younger viewers of Barney Miller is how blase they are about terrorist bombings. IIRC, between the FALN and others there were stretches of the '70s where they were nearly daily in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/15 "2012-09-10T00:23:24Z")
I seem to recall an episode about a husband being accused of raping his wife, and their doubts about how that could be possible. Sitcoms were different in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/16 "2012-09-10T02:27:16Z")
There was also an early episode where they had a woman come in with obvious bruising on her face, accusing her husband of beating her. She waffled back and forth about pressing charges on him, and it was played all very lightly. Disturbingly real job of makeup on the bruising too. That’s not to say real spousal beating victims don’t waffle back and forth about turning their violent spouses in, but the whole scene was played for laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/17 "2012-09-10T03:53:34Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Growing up in the seventies in Kansas City as the son of a cop, LOTS of people blew up in cars. In some neighborhoods, it was considered “natural causes”. I assume Loach was making a specific reference though. Gregory Sierra, who played Chano on _Barney Miller_, had been a guest star on _All in the Family_. He played a guy who got blown up in a car. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/18 "2012-09-10T03:54:05Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > There was also an early episode where they had a woman come in with obvious bruising on her face, accusing her husband of beating her. She waffled back and forth about pressing charges on him, and it was played all very lightly. > > Disturbingly real job of makeup on the bruising too. > > That’s not to say real spousal beating victims don’t waffle back and forth about turning their violent spouses in, but the whole scene was played for laughs. She signed the complaint at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/19 "2012-09-10T04:12:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I assume Loach was making a specific reference though. Gregory Sierra, who played Chano on _Barney Miller_, had been a guest star on _All in the Family_. He played a guy who got blown up in a car. Yes. An episode that has stuck with me all these years. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221/20 "2012-09-10T04:29:21Z")
> [@Hottius\_Maximus](#): > > If Inspector Luger was such a boob, how would someone like that be promoted to the position of Inspector? > **[Peter principle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle)** > > The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to "a level of respective incompetence": employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. > The concept was explained in the 1969 book The Peter Principle (William Morrow and Company) by Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull. Hull wr... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barney-miller-and-chano-and-inspector-luger/634221.md?page=2)